Chapter 7
Seven
How weird was it that at one point, Michael had dreamed of working in a hospital, and now he could hardly stand to be in one? Maybe because it was a reminder of life before his mother died.
Whatever it was, he needed to get over his unease, since they’d left their deep dive into Donner’s finances once Renegade Mercy General Hospital downtown called to say Isaac Carter had woken from his coma. He didn’t want to waste any more time.
His happy-go-lucky partner looked almost as uneasy as Michael felt. They walked down the stark hallways, Finn’s gaze shifting all over.
“You okay?” Michael asked him.
Finn gave him an exaggerated shiver. “With all the ghosts and spirits in this place? Of course not.”
“I never took you for the superstitious type, Finn.”
“It’s my daideo’s fault.”
“Who?”
“My grandfather. He would bring me to the hospital to visit the sick but leave me with the nurses. They told me ghost stories to entertain me. And with all the moaning and weeping going on there, they were rather convincing.” Liam made a face.
“I’ll tell you a few on our next stakeout. Then we’ll see how you sleep.”
Michael couldn’t help but laugh. Somehow Finn always knew how to help him shake the gloom.
But as they approached Carter’s room, the momentary cheer faded away. The man lay sleeping in the hospital bed, his arm in a cast, stitches on his cheek, and one eye still swollen shut. A woman sat in a chair by the window, Eddie curled up on her lap as they read a storybook.
Michael approached them, putting out a fist. “Hey, Eddie. Remember me?”
Eddie knocked knuckles but didn’t smile or say anything.
Michael moved his focus to the woman. “This is my partner, Detective Liam Finnigan. I’m Detective Michael Martinelli. Are you Mr. Carter’s sister?”
The woman nodded and stood. “I’m Stephanie Carter. I assume you’ve come to talk to my brother?” Worry etched her face, and she wrapped her cardigan tighter around her middle.
“We’re the detectives assigned to his case. We’re hoping he can tell us what happened the other night.” Michael faced her while Finn knelt and whispered something to Eddie. They moved over to the window, where Finn pointed out birds.
Stephanie dabbed at her eyes with a soggy tissue. “Good luck with that. He was in so much pain they knocked him out with medication. The nurse said he’ll be out for a while.”
“Can we talk to you, then? We can go to the playground down the street, and Eddie can play while we chat.” Anything to keep Stephanie and Eddie relaxed would help.
“Sure.”
Stephanie helped Eddie with his jacket, and they left the hospital.
Once they arrived at the small city playground, it took some convincing for Eddie to leave Stephanie’s side, but he did finally let Finn push him on the swings, allowing Michael to sit on the bench with his notebook and witness.
Through the whole ordeal, the kid would only nod or shake his head to answer any question.
Hopefully his aunt would be able to break through to him.
Michael made sure she had a direct line of sight to Eddie.
He might as well start with that. “Has Eddie said anything to you since you arrived?”
“Nothing. He’s been hit with so much. First, his mother. Now this.”
“He witnessed the break-in. Did they tell you that?”
She nodded. “Yes.” She suddenly straightened. “You’re not going to question Eddie, are you? He’s been traumatized enough. You can’t—”
“We won’t do anything right now. But eventually, with the help of a child trauma specialist, we may have to talk to him about it. He might have vital information, so if he does say anything, you need to let me know right away.”
“Of course. I mean, I want these people caught, but I can’t subject Eddie to anything else right now.”
“Okay, so what can you tell me about your brother? Did he say anything when he was awake?” Michael poised his pen to take notes.
“No. I wasn’t there when he woke. I just arrived back in town and picked up Eddie. The nurse told me when I got to the hospital that Isaac couldn’t speak very well. His jaw is wired shut, and he was in a lot of pain.”
“Do you have any idea who would want to do this to your brother? Does he have any enemies?”
“He’s a good man. A kind man. It’s been incredibly difficult since his wife died last year, but still, he’s an amazing father. He goes to church. He volunteers at the food shelf. He’s never been angry or violent.” Her voice caught. “I don’t know who would want to hurt him.”
Michael didn’t like the way this was going. “Are you involved in the store at all? Do you know if there are problems there?”
“Every now and then, I’ll help him stock shelves or do inventory. Mostly, I take care of Eddie and help at the house since Sheila died. But I do know Isaac had to let a couple part-time employees go and take over those shifts himself.”
“Why?”
“He had to cut costs, and one of the workers was into drugs.” Stephanie fiddled with the tissue in her hand.
“Do you know if those employees held that against him?”
“I’m sorry, I don’t. For the most part, Isaac didn’t talk about the business.” Stephanie rocked slightly forward and back. Probably growing agitated.
Time for a new tactic. “How did his wife die?”
She finally made eye contact again. “She had a rare congenital heart condition. She seemed to be doing well, but then her health declined rapidly, and she was gone before she could get a transplant. It devastated us all. Especially Eddie.”
Michael’s own heart squeezed. He looked over at the swings. Poor kid. Finn said something to Eddie, but the boy only shook his head and hopped down from the swing. He moved to the bottom of the slide and sat there hugging his knees and watching the cars go by.
Stephanie’s brows pinched. “Can we go now? I should get Eddie back.”
“I just have a few more questions.” Michael tried to find a reassuring smile, but it fell flat. He glanced over at Finn, who gave Eddie some space but stood close by, leaning against a pole on the playground equipment. “Finn is watching him. He’s great with kids.”
“I really don’t know what else to tell you, Detective. I know noth—”
Her words were cut off by a cry. Eddie scrambled off the slide and ran to his aunt, burying his face in her shirt, sobbing. What in the world…?
Michael stood and quickly scanned the perimeter.
Nothing stood out from the steady stream of traffic on the road or the people on the sidewalks, strolling past the stores and businesses across the street.
A mail carrier stopped to throw away a banana peel just as a garbage truck rumbled past. The scene couldn’t be a more boring snapshot of city life.
Nothing obvious that a little boy would find dangerous or frightening, for sure.
Michael scanned the view again, watching for shadows or movement behind the trees by the hospital entrance down the street.
Finn jogged over, also scanning the area. “You see anything?”
Michael shook his head and continued to search, slowly and deliberately.
Finn knelt by Eddie. “Can you tell us what gave you a fright, lad? We can help.”
But Eddie wouldn’t look up. His aunt picked him up, murmuring in his ear. “It’s all right. You’re safe here. Can you tell the policemen what you saw?”
He refused, shaking his head and never looking up from his aunt’s hold.
Michael stepped closer. “Is there anything—”
“That’s enough.” Stephanie wrapped a protective arm around her nephew. “I’m taking Eddie home.”
There wasn’t anything they could do, but Michael refused to give up. “We’ll leave for now. Thank you for your time.”
But he had plenty more questions for Mr. Carter when he woke.
They were nowhere near done.
The afternoon dragged on. Dani read down the list of accounts.
Finally!
If she was correct, she now had a good reason for a foray into the shop building. She walked around Van and Owen, the dispatchers, and over to Shirley.
“Do you know why there are payments going out to five different waste management companies?” How much garbage did one trucking company produce?
Shirley swiveled in her chair to face Dani. “That’s a question for Richard Campos. He’s the manager out in the shop and in charge of all those accounts. Do you want me to introduce you?”
“That’s okay. I know you’re busy.” She would rather meet people on her own and get their initial reactions.
Grateful for the reprieve from her beige-and-tan torture chamber, she practically skipped across the blacktop to the huge warehouse building.
Sure, a deep breath smelled more like oil and truck exhaust than fresh air, but at least the sun shone and a brisk breeze from the mountains to the west helped shake the fatigue from her limbs.
She would have to fit in a good run this evening.
With the high ceiling and the line of bay doors open to the sunshine, the shop itself was cavernous and almost airy.
Or maybe it only felt that way after being trapped in her small office.
She asked a man in mechanic coveralls, standing next to a trailer, where Richard Campos was.
She had to repeat herself three times thanks to the whir of power tools and the rumble of truck engines bouncing off the metal walls.
He finally pointed to a short man with glasses by a standing desk, who was talking on the phone. She gave the mechanic a smile and headed toward the manager. His navy button-down shirt with the SL logo hung untucked.
Dani smiled sweetly as she approached. He glared and continued his conversation on the phone.
“It was your mistake. I’m not paying for the shipment. That’s final.” He hung up and turned to Dani. “What do you want?”
“I’m the temporary accountant. Dani Kim.” She held out a hand.
He didn’t make a move to meet it. “You’re wasting my time. I’ve got five trucks out of commission and grocery deliveries that can’t wait, but my reefer is on the blitz.”
“Reefer?” Surely he wasn’t talking about the kind of reefer she’d been introduced to in high school at Philippa Jordan’s party? She’d been grounded for months after that.